Chapter 9

 The Iron-Faced Master

A month passed.

The backyard of Old Man Wu’s tavern was hardly recognizable anymore.

Layers of medicinal-herb powder covered the ground, while bottles filled with failed medicinal mixtures were lined up beneath the walls.

At the center of it all, Lu Fan slowly drew in a breath.

Whoosh.

A faint reddish glow bloomed from his chest and spread toward his shoulders and arms along with his breathing.

The red energy flowed just beneath his skin before gathering back toward his chest when Lu Fan exhaled.

It was proof that the first stage of the Blazing Fire Golden Body was gradually taking shape.

Without stopping his breathing, Lu Fan picked up the medicinal herbs in front of him.

He ground the Lantern Grass into powder and mixed it with Red Root and Astragalus in the prescribed proportions.

When violet flames blossomed from his fingertips and enveloped the dark-red medicinal liquid, bubbles repeatedly burst inside the small bowl.

Sizzle.

If the flames were too weak, the medicinal properties would not properly blend.

But if they were even slightly too strong, the herbs would burn.

It was a sensation he had learned through his body after dozens of failures over the past month.

Lu Fan thinned the flames until they were as fine as a thread.

The heat that began around the edge of the bowl spread evenly toward the center of the medicinal liquid.

After a while, the cloudy liquid turned a clear, dark red.

Lu Fan extinguished the flames and poured the medicinal liquid into a small bottle.

“Master.”

Old Man Wu, who had been dozing in his rocking chair, opened one eye.

“You didn’t blow it up again, did you?”

“Not this time.”

Lu Fan tossed the bottle over.

Without even getting up, Old Man Wu crooked a finger.

The flying bottle stopped in midair before descending gently into his palm.

He opened the stopper, checked only its color and fragrance, then handed the bottle back.

“Usable.”

Lu Fan raised an eyebrow.

“Just usable?”

“You could call it a Superior-grade product.”

Only then did a smile spread across Lu Fan’s face.

On the first day, he had not even been able to properly grind the medicinal herbs into powder.

His concentration had been disrupted by the itching, and the medicinal mixture had exploded in front of his face several times.

Even when Lu Fan failed, Old Man Wu never simply gave him the answer.

If the herbs burned, he made Lu Fan figure out why the flames had become too strong.

If the medicinal properties failed to blend, he made him go back and reconsider the order in which the ingredients had been added.

During the day, Lu Fan made Tempering Powder and practiced the Blazing Fire Golden Body.

At night, he organized his understanding of the properties and combinations of the failed herbs.

Then, the next day, he started all over again.

Only after an entire month had passed could he finally produce Superior-grade Tempering Powder entirely on his own.

“Only now am I finally able to make a medicinal preparation properly.”

Lu Fan let out a long breath.

“Once you know how to make one properly, you’ll get faster from there.”

Old Man Wu rose from his chair.

“What about your martial arts?”

Lu Fan put down the bottle in his hand and assumed a horse stance.

As his breathing changed, the reddish glow once again bloomed from his chest.

A month ago, the light had appeared only briefly before disappearing.

Now, it clearly extended all the way to both his arms.

Lu Fan threw out his fist.

Whoosh!

A wave of scorching air swept through the space where his fist had passed.

The surface of a wooden barrel placed in the distance dried from the heat and began to crack.

“I haven’t reached Minor Accomplishment yet.”

Lu Fan withdrew his fist.

“But I think I’ve figured out how to draw out the energy.”

Old Man Wu nodded with satisfaction.

“That’s enough. The Blazing Fire Golden Body is a martial art that tempers flesh and bones with the power of fire. Practicing it alongside Tempering Powder will make your progress several times faster than an ordinary person’s.”

“Even if it’s several times faster, I’ve still spent a month on the first stage?”

“Do you think a Spirit-grade martial art is some fist manual you can buy at the market?”

Old Man Wu clicked his tongue.

“If those old fellows in the Lu family knew how quickly you were cultivating, they wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Don’t become impatient for no reason.”

Lu Fan obediently nodded.

What he had gained over the past month was not limited to his progress in the Blazing Fire Golden Body.

The thread-like strand of energy in his dantian had also grown several times thicker, allowing him to control enough flames to make an entire bottle of Tempering Powder.

Lu Fan looked around.

Dozens of bottles, large and small, were piled beneath the wall.

Most were little better than failures, and several were of lower quality than what he had made today.

Even so, their medicinal effects remained.

“Can I sell these as well?”

Lu Fan pointed toward the bottles that were in relatively good condition.

“I need money to buy more medicinal herbs. I really don’t have a single coin left now.”

Old Man Wu answered casually.

“Sell them.”

“Will people actually buy things like these?”

“In Jianglin City, it’s difficult to even see a medicinal pill, let alone buy one. Even if they look like failures to you, they’re precious medicines to ordinary martial artists.”

Lu Fan placed the bottles in the front row into the Nine Heavens Ring one by one.

“Then I’ll go to the auction house.”

“Wait.”

Old Man Wu held out a hand.

“There’s something I want to give you before you go.”

He took back one bottle of the Tempering Powder Lu Fan had just finished.

White flames rose from his palm.

Crack.

The bottle shattered into tiny pieces, and the dark-red medicinal liquid floated in midair.

As the flames enveloped the liquid, its moisture rapidly evaporated, causing it to condense into a small bead.

Old Man Wu clenched his left hand in the air.

A dazzling ray of light was pulled out of empty space.

When he tossed the light into the flames, golden patterns spread across the surface of the dark-red bead.

Hum—

With a low resonance, the flames split apart.

A medicinal pill carrying a golden sheen traced a smooth arc through the air before gently landing in Lu Fan’s palm.

Lu Fan could not even blink.

Old Man Wu’s ability to turn a medicinal preparation into a pill was on an entirely different level from anything Lu Fan had learned.

“This is an Extreme Radiance Pill.”

Old Man Wu nodded toward it.

“A first-grade, Superior-grade medicinal pill. It will help temper your body and increase your qi and blood. Eat it.”

Lu Fan swallowed the pill without hesitation.

The pill melted in his mouth and flowed down his throat like a stream of cool water.

At that moment, the itching that had tormented his entire body vanished as though it had never existed.

“Ah……”

It was the first comfort he had felt in a month.

A refreshing energy, like immersing his body in icy water, flowed between his muscles and bones.

The reddish glow rapidly spread from his chest to both his arms and legs.

Unlike the sensation of forcibly breaking down and transforming his body when he drank Tempering Powder, this felt as though the scattered medicinal power was gathering together and sinking deep into his flesh.

Crack, crack.

When Lu Fan stood up, his joints cracked one after another.

Even merely clenching his fists, he could feel a completely different level of strength.

His qi and blood circulated freely throughout his body, while his strengthened muscles were pulled taut as though they might burst at any moment.

Lu Fan immediately punched toward the training stone in the courtyard.

Boom!

A scorching fist wind exploded from his fist before it even made contact.

The surface of the training stone caved in deeply, and reddish cracks spread in every direction.

Lu Fan examined the inside of his body.

The barrier that had been blocking him was gone.

“Body Tempering Realm, seventh layer……”

At last, he had entered the Advanced level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Only a month after reaching the sixth layer, he had crossed another stage.

A realm that had refused to budge despite years of effort was now finally responding to his training.

Old Man Wu casually picked up a wine bottle.

“You said the Western Mountain Hunting Competition is in two months, right?”

“Yes.”

“It would be good if you could advance another stage by then.”

Feeling the warmth remaining in his palm, Lu Fan smiled.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“Then go make some money first.”

Old Man Wu kicked aside the empty medicinal-herb sacks scattered across the ground.

“You’ll need several times more medicinal herbs for the next stage of your training.”

“Does Master really not spend a single coin while teaching his disciple?”

“Knowledge is more valuable than money.”

“People without money say that quite often.”

Old Man Wu threw the wine bottle at him, and Lu Fan dodged it with a laugh.

---

After leaving the tavern, Lu Fan headed straight for the market.

He bought a black robe and an iron mask that covered his entire face, then changed clothes in a deserted alley.

He pulled the hood of his robe low and deliberately lowered and roughened his voice.

If rumors spread that a Qi Refining cultivator had appeared, people would swarm in to discover his identity.

If the Lu family found out, they would inevitably question him about where he had learned to make medicinal preparations.

The place Lu Fan headed for was Jianglin City’s largest auction house, the Dingcheng Auction House.

When he arrived at the splendid main entrance, a guard raised his hand to stop him.

“Sir, tonight’s auction will be held in the evening.”

A low voice came from behind the iron mask.

“I didn’t come to buy anything.”

“Then what brings you here……”

“I have something to sell.”

The guard’s attitude immediately changed.

He led Lu Fan through a small iron door beside the main entrance.

After knocking several times, a young man appeared from inside.

“A guest has arrived. Please, come inside.”

A small reception room had been prepared with a table, chairs, and some simple refreshments.

The young man sat across from Lu Fan and introduced himself.

“I’m Shen Qiming, an appraiser at the Dingcheng Auction House. What item have you brought?”

Lu Fan took two small bottles out of the Nine Heavens Ring.

“Tempering Powder. It assists martial artists in the Body Tempering Realm with their cultivation.”

Shen Qiming’s eyes brightened.

He accepted the bottles and carefully examined their color and fragrance.

“May I taste just one drop? If there’s no problem with the medicinal effects, we’ll calculate the full value for you.”

Lu Fan nodded.

Shen Qiming poured a single drop into a small cup and placed it on the tip of his tongue.

As he closed his eyes and examined the medicinal effects, his expression changed rapidly.

“Superior-grade.”

Shen Qiming carefully set down the bottle.

“The medicinal power is quite potent, yet remarkably stable. Tempering Powder of this quality could start at five hundred gold coins per bottle.”

Lu Fan concealed his expression behind the mask.

Five hundred gold coins.

Even selling just a few bottles would allow him to recover all the money he had spent on medicinal herbs over the past month.

No wonder they say Qi Refining cultivators don’t have to worry about money.

Lu Fan spoke in a low voice.

“I’m not planning to sell only two bottles.”

The Nine Heavens Ring glimmered faintly.

Small bottles appeared one after another on the table.

Five bottles.

Ten.

When the number passed twenty, even the large table was packed without an inch to spare.

The smile disappeared from Shen Qiming’s face.

He looked back and forth between the table full of bottles and the iron mask.

“Sir…… just who are you?”

Lu Fan did not answer.

A heavy silence descended over the reception room.

Only then did Shen Qiming realize he had asked a question he should not have.

Anyone who wore both a robe and an iron mask while casually producing this much medicinal preparation was very likely to be a Qi Refining cultivator.

Cold sweat appeared on Shen Qiming’s forehead.

At that moment, the inner door opened.

A middle-aged woman dressed in purple walked out with a gentle smile.

“Sir, my younger brother is still inexperienced and has been rude.”

Shen Qiming hurriedly stood.

“Elder Sister.”

The woman dismissed him with a glance before sitting across from Lu Fan.

“I’m Shen Yun of the Dingcheng Auction House.”

She quickly examined the bottles on the table before speaking.

“We’ll take all the Tempering Powder you’ve brought. We’ll put them up for auction all at once tonight, with a starting price of five hundred gold coins per bottle.”

“Some of them are slightly lower in quality.”

“Most of them are Superior-grade, with only a few falling below that level. If we auction them as a lot, that should still be a sufficient price.”

Shen Yun thought for a moment before adding,

“Since this is our first transaction, we’ll only charge a five percent commission from the winning bids.”

It was considerably lower than the usual auction commission.

Lu Fan nodded.

“Then let’s do that.”

Shen Yun immediately prepared a transaction certificate and stamped it with the seal of the Dingcheng Auction House.

“Bring this certificate tonight. We’ll also prepare a good private room for you.”

Lu Fan placed the certificate inside his ring and stood.

“If I have more medicinal preparations in the future, I’ll bring them here.”

At those words, Shen Yun’s smile deepened.

“We’ll be waiting. May I ask how we should address you?”

Lu Fan thought for a moment.

He could not reveal his real name.

He lightly tapped the iron mask with his fingertips before answering in a low voice.

“You may call me Master Iron Face.”

After Lu Fan left the reception room, Shen Qiming finally released the breath he had been holding.

“Elder Sister, do you think he really is a Qi Refining cultivator?”

Shen Yun’s expression turned cold.

“Don’t try to find out his identity.”

“But if someone like that had been in Jianglin City……”

“That is exactly why we must not provoke him.”

Shen Yun looked at the Tempering Powder covering the table.

“He casually produced more than twenty bottles of Superior-grade medicinal preparations. Whether he made them himself or has someone else behind him, he is not someone we can afford to offend.”

She immediately summoned someone.

“Post notices throughout the city. Tonight’s final auction item is Tempering Powder made by a Qi Refining cultivator. Announce that there are more than twenty bottles.”

Shen Qiming’s eyes widened.

“Then the auction house will be bursting at the seams tonight.”

“That’s exactly what we’re aiming for.”

Shen Yun looked toward the door through which Master Iron Face had disappeared and slowly smiled.

“Tonight, all of Jianglin City will be stirred up.”